


The Best We Can Do

by doesnotloveyou



Category: Avengers: Endgame - Fandom, Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Ending, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Fix-It, Gen, One Shot, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2020-02-09 15:06:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18640555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doesnotloveyou/pseuds/doesnotloveyou
Summary: A quick, fix-it fic for some of the major twists and contrivances in Endgame. SPOILERS, obviously.





	The Best We Can Do

**Author's Note:**

> I loved this film, but I couldn't stand like four major things it screwed up. I hope this dries some tears!

Bucky looked sideways at Steve. "You could've stayed back there. With her. I wouldn't have held it against you."

Steve nodded and looked at his best friend. "I could have, but I'd be stealing her future. She had her family. And I have mine."

Throwing an arm around Bucky's shoulders, Steve barely resisted the familiar wave of pain at all the chances he'd lost. It was getting easier to accept, and easier to let go.

"Hey," Bucky leaned into Steve with a soft smirk, "Sam told me that blonde is Peggy's niece? You still talk to her?"

"Yeah," Steve said somewhat reluctantly, "she disappeared too, but we...we stayed in contact before that. She's a good person, just like Peg. I owe it to both of them to find her."

Bucky inclined his head toward Sam's voice in the background. "He's going to look better in that suit than you ever did. Remember the little wings?"

They both laughed at this, first quietly, then louder as the comparison got funnier the more they thought about it. Slapping his knee, Steve groaned softly. "Man, I would've asked you, but—"

"Oh, thank god you didn't. I'm not ready for that." Bucky didn't mean for it to come out that way, but it did, and with it came all the things humanity still might not forgive him for.

Steve squeezed his shoulders. "What are you going to do? We could both retire, go fishing, go gambling. Two old coots."

"One of us with his deadly blonde girlfriend," Bucky’s memories shifted to a new subject, "and the other a third wheel with his metal arm."

Steve sighed through his nose. He was about to say something uplifting when Bucky said,

"I knew Romanoff."

"Knew?"

"Know." Bucky felt he might be turning gray just remembering it all, especially what she said to him in Berlin. "She remembers too. Should I...would she want...?"

"To talk about it?"

Bucky nodded hesitantly, biting his lip, prepared to accept any advice Steve gave him.

"Yeah, talk to her. She's been thinking about Russia more after whatever happened on Vormir. I think she'd like to talk."

"Where is she right now?" Bucky asked a bit hastily.

Steve blew air out between his lips. "One of the families, Barton or Stark. Tony invited her over for dinner, some kind of special reunion, but I don't know if that was tonight or tomorrow."

"Nah. I don't want to interrupt anything." Code for not wanting to bother Tony ever again. Bucky couldn't look the man in the eye, and didn't think it would happen soon. Seven years may have softened Tony's opinion of him, but for Bucky it had only been two years, and the guilt still weighed him down.

Steve squeezed him again. "You'll talk to her. Soon as we can get a hold of her; it'll be okay."

"Yo, Cap." Sam trotted over, a gleeful look in his eye.

"Who?" Steve teased.

"Why're you talking about yourself in the third person?" Bucky joined.

"Yeah, yeah, okay." Sam shook his head with a chuckle. "Food, let's go. Bring Shaggy."

Steve guffawed, and Bucky muttered a followup insult that neither of them heard. Each man walked forward with a purpose in mind and a friend at his side, leaving the past to drift away behind them.


End file.
